A staggered start

 

 

You would think that after 6 years of homeschooling under my belt, I would have this gig all figured out. Not so. Every year has consisted of different circumstances, schedules and temperaments.

I want this to be *the* year that we take the 'schooling' part of school a little more seriously. I've got my plate full now, as Owen has joined the ranks and will begin doing regular work, just like his older brother and sister. Jordan is now an eighth grader, and I've got a lot of ground to cover. Rylan is in second grade, and not quite where I had hoped she would be. So, this is the year for change.

I know from past experience that doing the full schedule on the first day is a huge mistake. The kids need to transition out of their lazy days just as much as I need to. It was surprisingly easy to put homeschool out of my mind for June and July. As much as I had planned on schooling through the summer, my heart was just not in it, and with Jordan gone and our general summer activity busyness in the way, schoolwork was just not going to happen.

So here we are. It is August (and it's almost over !?!?), and our school year is well underway. I thought about school in short snippets here and there, and one of the decisions I made was that we would do a staggered start. Each week, as August progressed, I would add another kid to the schedule. And as each day passed by, we would add another item or two to the work load.

I began with Jordan, and after three weeks, he is running at almost full tilt. The only exception is World History. Neither of us are really grooving on History Odyssey. We cannot seem to move beyond ancient history!! After six years of homeschooling, we have left all the world history beyond ancient history virtually untouched, with the exception of what we read about in the yearly Core Knowledge books. I think that of all of the school subjects, history is my absolute favorite, and so I don't know why I am struggling with this. I need to figure out what my issue is with History Odyssey is, and fix it. Quickly.

We are using Homeschool Schedtrak again this year to track our hours, and Jordan has logged over 40 for this month already, so I think we are off to an excellent start. Please don't roll your eyes or secretly hate me when I tell you this, but Jordan has remarked, on numerous occasions over these past few weeks, that he is really enjoying the work - especially Physics, and looks forward to checking off his schedule as he goes. I am only making note of it here because I understand how fleeting and remarkable it is for a 13 yr. old to say something like this in the first place, and I need it here to remind me of the good times. I know that hard and difficult times are to be expected. I just want to be prepared. Now, I am not going to lie, there is a dangling carrot for motivation here. A completed schoolwork checklist = Minecraft, so that is truly what is pushing him here, at the moment.

Rylan's turn came up, and, just as I expected, she was less than thrilled. We are working at about half the desired work load right now. I think it is going to take a while to get her into a comfortable routine. The one highlight came last week, when upon the completion of a math lesson, she remarked in an astounded and pleased voice that she was excited to be doing 'real math' at this point, 'just like Jordan'. Not sure why solving the same sort of problems all of a sudden feels like the real thing, but there you have it. Another happy customer, so I'll file it away in the Good Times folder, for later use to remind me why it was a good idea to homeschool in the first place.

Owen is officially known to the school district now, as I just added his name to the Notice of Intent to Homeschool letter we have to send to the local district each fall. Owen loves his big yellow pencils and putting stickers on things. I no longer think he will be a lefty, he is most definitely a righty. I am a little disappointed...I thought that would have been kind of cool. We have only started up two things at this point - Reading Eggs and Explode the Code, so we will just continue to work on adding stuff as we go.

It has been a very good start - our best ever, to date. I think that it has also helped us that the extra stuff doesn't really start up until next month. Jordan has joined our homeschool Lego NXT group, and will meet twice a week until the month of November, when they go to competition. The group just started up meetings this past week, and he is enjoying it. He is also doing Boy Scouts, of course. And that's it! I think that not going to karate five days a week will make a huge difference for him. I'm still sad about that, but in the big picture, it's a good thing. Rylan wrapped up her summer tumbling session a week ago, and is enjoying not having anything to do at the moment. And I hope she does, because in another week's time, she will be a busy, busy girl. She will have three nights of dance in a row - jazz, tumbling and ballet, plus violin, and then Girl Scouts starts up in October, along with extra Nutcracker practices. I am glad we are not starting up scouts in September - I still need to get my feet on solid ground before I take on seven little Brownies!

So that's it! Things have been quiet here on the blog as I got stuff rolling - not much down time as of late. I have been keeping up with how fellow homeschoolers - both local and on the blogosphere have been ramping things up, making changes here and there - always good to self-evaluate and know that we are all in the same boat, just carrying different cargo...

 

Posted with Blogsy

The 4 o'clock ice cream social

 

 

 

There have been street closures due to construction surrounding our neighborhood all summer long.  Two of the main exit points are closed.  For our purposes, any time we want to travel south from our neighborhood (which we do the majority of the time), there is only one exit we can use - one way in, one way out.  That goes for everybody.  I'm not sure of the approximate size of our little enclave, but I would guesstimate about 1500 residences???  Plus a park, small lake, green space, tennis courts, ball field, soccer field and an elementary school.

 

So earlier this afternoon, at 4 pm., I ran a quick errand - going southbound.  I followed the now-customary route that meanders through the neighborhood to get to the exit street.  This route takes me right past the school.  I rounded the corner and immediately regretted it.  Cars...  Minivans...  Hundreds of them, all having to travel in the same direction - one way in, one way out.  There were parents and kids streaming down the sidewalks and crossing the streets, laden down with boxes of Kleenex, reams of printer paper, bundles of yellow pencils and newly minted crayons, in 64 different hues.  It's that time!

 

I've walked past the school every morning for the past month.  They have a little electronic message board out front that broadcasts upcoming events, and it has been advertising the day-before-school-starts ice cream social for a couple of weeks now.  It was a chance for the students to meet the teachers, see the classroom, and drop off a small fortune in school supplies.

All this hoopla makes me a little wistful and A LOT thankful.  I have mostly good memories of those first days as a teacher - I had a total of four of those 'first days', and they were fun, crazy and flew by in an instant.  The classroom was as neat-as-a-pin when the kids and a few helicopter parents streamed in, and in a total wreck by the end of the day.

 

From the parents' perspective, I got to at least experience that first day of Kindergarten with Jordan.  Here we are, in my classroom.  My first day, ready to teach third grade, and Jordan's first day of K.

 



 

Okay, I have to admit that looking at this photo makes me miss the classroom... - *just* a little bit.  I really did love setting it all up, doing the planning, and engaging with the kids.  And look at Jordan!  Ha!  Now he is a gangly 13 yr. old.  He was soooo exited that day.  He couldn't wait to get to his classroom - but he had to hang with me until it was time.

 

A lot of time has passed.  We now have six full years of homeschooling under our belts, and have already started up with #7.  I didn't feel particularly emotional about leaving public school behind until two years ago, when Rylan was ready for Kindergarten.  All of a sudden I felt this inner panic that I was depriving her of some sort of right of passage.  I tried to picture her in a classroom setting, sitting a table with other kids, madly coloring and chatting away.  I felt very sad, and it took a while to get past it.  Now we are at a milestone again - Owen is now the Kindergartner.  Do I feel the same sense of panic?

 

When I watched all of these families walking towards the school, carrying their burdens in backpacks and shopping bags, I did feel sad.  But not quite so much.  I was almost willing to surrender my girl to my feelings of elementary school nostalgia, but not our Owen.  No way.  I don't want to miss out on a second of schooling him because his enthusiasm is absolutely precious.  The concentrated effort that he puts forth in holding his pencil 'just so', the way he colors carefully within the lines, the way he brings his workbook and stickers to me with an expectant look on his face... I am so, so, so very thankful that we are on this path.  That I know that tomorrow morning, while tons of other kids are boarding yellow buses with their brand new backpacks and lunchboxes, we will wake up, and work through our day together as a family, at a measured pace, mixing in the play with the schoolwork - a routine we know like the back of our hands.  I love our homeschool life, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

(Although I have to admit - I suddenly have the urge to decorate a bulletin board with apples and bookworms...  Just a little one... maybe put up the calendar on it.  And post some copywork or something.  And a small inspirational poster.  And a list of some sort!  Gotta have a list.  Maybe some gold stars?)





42

photo credit

 

 

 

"The answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything"

 

 

 

I turned 42 today.  I am lovin' this age and I can't wait for this year to get underway!!

 

 

Here are some awesome things about 42:

 

1. I've now got the answer to a long-forgotten question.

 

2. 42 is the angle rounded to whole degrees for which a rainbow appears.

 

3. 42 is a (2,6) perfect number.

 

4. '42' is a track on Coldplay's (my fav band) Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends

 

5. On page 42 of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry discovers that he is, in fact, a wizard.  (I verified this by checking my first-edition copy of the British version that Dad gave me for my birthday, a few years back.)

 

6. The element Molybdenum has the atomic number 42, and is the 42nd most common element in the Universe.  It is used in steel alloys where it gives great strength and heat resistance.

 

7. There are 42 illustrations in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

 

8. Toy Story character Buzz Lightyear's spaceship is named '42.'

 

 

We celebrated my birthday by hiking one of my favorite trails in RMNP, in the Wild Basin area.   Dean took the day off and my dad joined us, so it was the seven of us on this adventure.  We had a great time.  Owen and Colin were wandering every which way - much like Billy does in the Family Circus cartoon, by Bil Keane.



 



Our destination was 1.8 miles up the trail: Calypso Cascades.  It was coolish, and rain threatened from time to time.  We stopped for lunch along the way, and stopped another 30 or so times to get wandering kids back on the trail.

 

 

 

After we hung out at the falls for a time, the skies looked very threatening, a cool wind blew and we put on our rain jackets.  And then it began to pour.  And pour.  And pour.  I didn't mind - I think it is kind of neat to hike in the rain.  But - it did get chilly, and by the time we were within a 1/4 mile of the car, Owen was on his last legs.  His hands were cold and he was getting miserable.  "I just don't like this trail much anymore..."  :(  We got in the car, peeled off wet rain jackets and shoes and socks, and were sorta warmed up by the time we got home.  Luckily we had already made plans with my mom for dinner, so we just changed out of wet clothing and headed over for a yummy beef roast dinner and birthday cake for dessert.  I couldn't of asked for a happier day!

 

 

Shoulder Update...

It's been awhile since I've mentioned my shoulder.  I had my *last* physical therapy session last week.  I joked with the receptionist on the way out that they should hand you a graduation certificate or something...

I feel really, really good.  The only move that hurts at this point is reaching around and touching the back side of my opposite shoulder, while applying sunscreen.  Direct pressure on my AC joint still hurts quite a bit, so my bra strap is irritating as hell.  I swear I adjust it about a 100 times a day, pulling it towards my neck to get it out of that shoulder groove.

I do my therapy exercises every day, and will continue from here on out.  I work with 3 lb. weights at the present moment, and I will increase when I am ready.  I also work with elastic bands.  The only therapy moves that are a bit tough at this point is rotating in and out, or on the diagonal.

I am really pleased with the results and I think the surgeon did a fantastic job.  I still wonder, how, at the age of (almost) 42, I could have had that much arthritis in that joint.  I am beginning to think that the 20+ years of a heavily-loaded bra strap may be the culprit.. :(  The other shoulder is not bothering me at the present moment, although it was showing signs of wear during the months I was depending on it so much as I babied the other shoulder.

It is miraculous how quickly a body can heal!

Simple Woman's Daybook Entry

 

 

Outside my window... It is overcast and the current temp is 59F.  Love it!  I've got every window open so I can air out the house.  It looks like we are going to have cooler temps for awhile - so unusual for Colorado this time of year.  I hate the heat, so I am loving this!  What I am not loving, however, is the humidity.  That is also unusual for Colorado.

I am thinking... about my husband Dean and oldest son Jordan, who are backpacking with 15 or so other scouts and adult leaders in the Mt. Holy Cross Wilderness this weekend.  I got a text from Dean yesterday that said, "Hello from 13,856 feet!".  The group was climbing Mt. Holy Cross (a 14'ner).  I was expecting that because you can always get a signal from a mountain peak.  What I was not expecting was a text at 6 a.m. this morning asking for the weather forecast for the day since they had been rained on since 3 a.m. and were holed up in their tents - they are to hike 6.5 miles today.  I looked it up and texted him back, but I haven't heard back from him.  I am amazed he got a signal at all...  Hope it isn't too miserable up there.  Backpacking in solid rain is nooo fun.  It's been 20+ years for me, but you don't forget!  ;)

I am thankful... as I said, for this cool weather, and for a nice relaxing week last week.  We celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary on Wednesday, on Thursday a few of Rylan's fellow daisy scouts joined up for an outing up the Big Thompson Canyon at Vienstenz-Smith Park (such a pretty place), and then on Friday, after seeing the scouts off, I took the little kids to the zoo, along with my two nephews (13 and 11).  We had such a fun day - I liked getting to spend some time with them - such great boys!  Yesterday the kids and I went to a retirement party for our dentist.  I know that sounds weird, but this guy - Dr. Obermann, is such. a. great. guy.  After 30 years of practice and local philanthropy, he has amassed a huge following of children who don't really mind when he pokes in their mouth, because his great personality makes up for it.  He was my pediatric dentist too, long, long ago.  ;)  He held a huge carnival/picnic in the park yesterday, complete with bouncy houses, trampolines (the kind where you wear a harness), food, sno-cones, face painting and local youth bands played up on a stage.  We said our goodbyes and then met the new dentist that will be taking over.  His name is Dr. Owen, and my Owen was very happy to meet another 'Owen'.  It doesn't happen that often.  We rounded out the day with a bbq at my friend Kierra's house, who lives just down the street from me.  This has become an annual event (this was our third time), and their bbq sauce and ribs are out of this world!  I can't wait until next year! (And the peach sangria was amazing!!!)  The kids had tons of fun battling it out with foam weaponry of all sorts with the other kids who were there.  Despite that, I am NOT going to get them any for home.  They hit each other enough already...


From the Learning Rooms... Our official school year ends this coming week, and the next year technically starts Aug 1st.  This coming week is also our 'off week' (last week of the month).  I am pretty much set with curriculum and stuff, I just need to finalize my plans to use PLATO Science for Jordan and get him a subscription through the Homeschool Buyer's Co-op.  It will take some advanced planning on my part - I need to figure out what time slot of the day will work best (we won't go for 24 hr. access)  and how many modules we think he can do this year.


In the kitchen...  Out. of. food.  Need to shop today. 


I am wearing... t-shirt and robe.


I am creating... a music playlist for when I am out walking.  Still tinkering with it a bit.  I love love love Spotify. 

I am going... for a long walk as soon as the kids wake up and then we will go shopping.  Love a lazy day!


I am wondering... whether to have granola with blueberries or oatmeal with strawberries.  Yep.  Deep thoughts going on around here..

I am reading... I picked up Drums of Autumn again from Gabaldon's Outlander series last weekend,  and made it another 8 pages or so.  I don't know why I can't get absorbed into another novel... I need a good summer read!


In the garden...  Ginormous turnips!  I tried making turnip fries earlier this week, and they were bitter.  :(  A friend says to let them stay in the garden until after a hard freeze.  The freeze will boost the sugar content.  I will read up on that.  I just hope they aren't bitter because they got too big.  They totally got away from me - much like a zucchini.


I am hoping... This weather does truly last all week like the forecast says it will.


I am looking forward to... the end of swim lessons!  They will end on Friday of this coming week.  I am pleased with how much Rylan and Owen have progressed, but I will be so glad to get our mornings back - just in time for school to start.


I am learning...  about turnips, proper things to eat before walking/running, Brownie bridging ceremonies and how to create a workable playlist ranked by bpm.  (beats per minute)


I am hearing... a crow, the fish tank gurgling, the fridge humming, another crow answering and my chair squeaking as I fidget.


Around the house... We will be ready to paint the house at the end of next month, so we need to finalize our color choices and submit them to the HOA for approval.  We will also be replacing the front door and side lights and maybe even the outdoor lighting, and they will also need to be approved.  sigh.

I am pondering... strawberries vs. blueberries again.  (I'm hungry)


One of my favorite things...  Cool mornings.  I can't wait for fall!


A few plans for the rest of the week... Rylan's last violin lesson is tomorrow, then we take August off.  Swim lessons every morning.  Rylan has tumbling tomorrow and Jordan has scouts.  And that is it!!!  The week is full of opportunity...


Here is a picture for thought I am sharing...

 

Colin, Rylan and Owen enjoying sno-cones yesterday.



To read more entries and visit a variety of other blogs, go here...


In sickness and in health...

 

Happy 8th Anniversary to us! We are feeling very blessed this year, as we toast the past wonderful eight years of friendship, parenthood, chaos, silliness and love.

We have decided to celebrate this year by gifting ourselves with a pair of Fitbit Flex bracelets. If you don't have one, Get One! Trouble is, they are a hot commodity right now, so good luck. Last Friday we bought ours at Best Buy, two out of three that could be found in all of the state of Colorado. Online retailers are back ordered. We were really, really lucky. These bracelets are. awesome. Click on the link to find out more about them, but for a quick overview, these bracelets track your every move all throughout the day. No need to wear your pedometer or other gadgetry. The FitBit will track the intensity of your movements, your calories burned, how much sleep you got and the quality of sleep by noting how many times you were restless, it is waterproof (like in the shower, not the pool) and it is compatible with MyFitnessPal. You can use MFP for tracking your food diary, and MFP will analyze and log the data it constantly receives from your FitBit. I am a data freak, so I LOVE this! Since Saturday I've logged 31.62 miles (walking).

This is a great way to partner up with my husband and cheer each other as we get healthier together - that way we can do our part in keeping the sickness part of the deal out of the equation as much as possible.

Posted with Blogsy

Back into the fold...

Jordan arrived home last week from his second round of visitation with his mom.  His plane arrived early in the evening, and it was a loud hyperfest in the back 2/3rds of the van the whole way home.  Rylan, Owen and Colin are very happy to have him back home.

We are too. 

Not sure what the emotional/behavioral damage estimate is, it was hard to tell initially, but I hope it follows the trend of past years and won't be as bad.  There will be the typical gaming deprogramming, of course, along with tapering off the need for constant stimulation from TV or computer.  It happens every year.  When he goes to visit, he constantly complains of boredom, so these are his only outlets.


I am glad Jordan is back, and in one piece to boot.  It is not a moment too soon.  This was a traumatic visit for us, waiting back here in Colorado.  First there was the EF5 tornado in Moore, on May 22nd, the day he flew out there.  Then, on May 31st, there was another tornado outbreak.



credit: NWS

Dean was at work that day, watching the weather warnings on the internet, and as things began to look pretty serious, he called Jordan to make sure that he was getting to safe place.  Jordan's mother's house is located where the green star is.  She has no storm cellar, no local shelter...nothing.  The storm trackers were predicting that the tornado was going to track eastward, along I40.  As you can see, the green star was IN THE DIRECT PATH of where the tornado was predicted to be heading.  (it did veer, inexplicably, south)  Jordan said that his mom and stepdad didn't think it was necessary to leave the house.  (!)

Let's just let that sit for a minute.  Just imagine.  You, sitting in a safe location, 800 miles away, can see and hear the local storm trackers and weather forecasters, by streaming a live feed over the internet, sounding the warning that if those individuals in the tornado's path cannot get below ground, they had better leave if they didn't want to risk losing their life.  Your loved-one is IN that path they keep mentioning over and over again.  Keep in mind, the horrific scenes from the Moore tornado were only 9 days old.  These were seasoned forecasters - and even they were sounding a little freaked out.  That is what we can hear, that is what we tell Jordan, that is what he tells his mom - BEGGING to her that he wants to leave and go someplace safer.  You could hear the fear in his voice.  And?  She scoffs.

Scoffs.

SCOFFS!

It's been over a month, and yet I still want to reach out and strangle...someone.  This was, in it's totality, her move as if to say - "I am not going to do something, just because they (meaning Dean and me) are telling me to do it.".  That is all it was.  She was so DETERMINED to make her point and to be the one in charge, that she forgot to be the grown-up in the first place. 

The map above shows a second star, a purple one.  This is where Jordan and his mom eventually sheltered at.  After our third phone call that afternoon in the span of 20 minutes, where we went over what safety precautions he could take if they were indeed staying put, we heard back from Jordan about 10 minutes later that he and his mom were driving south to a hospital, where they figured they could wait it out in an interior corridor.  This was now a full 30 minutes from when the first warnings to GET OUT came.  (This would be the hospital that was eventually hit by the tornado)  They moved on from there, for whatever reason, and eventually ended up (at Jordan's suggestion) at a Homeland Grocery store, sheltering in a meat locker with 30 or so other people.  If that had been her move, when the warnings first came, I would be applauding her.  But not for this.  It was Jordan that got them to safety - not her.  If she had put aside her petty control issues and phoned Dean herself, and came up with an evacuation game plan WITH him, for the sake and safety of THEIR son, I would have been so grateful.

Co-parenting can be so much better than this.  But it takes a willingness to work as a team.  I am regarded as the enemy by her.  Jordan is routinely asked by her if I am treating him okay, or if I yell at him or push him around.  I have been accused of forcing Jordan to raise the kids for me - that in fact (and this is precious), the only reason I keep him at home to "homeschool" him, is so that he will take care of the kids for me.  Jordan was actually quite angered by this, and told me that he set her straight, reminding her that 'he is the big brother, and that is what older sibling do" (duh), and that he is homeschooled because he had such a rough start in public education.  The general classroom is not the best place for him with his ADHD.  Her response? "Oh..."

I've been thinking about the whole 'step-mother' short shrift for some time now...  Just like parents of every stripe out there, there are people of every sort.  Just because you are a biological parent, doesn't, by default, make you a good one - make you the better choice.  The better adult-figure in a child's life can be the neighbor down the street, the teacher, the grandparent, and yes... even step-parents.  I'm am not saying this to toot my own horn.  What I am saying is that she is trying to sell Jordan on the 'Disney' version of the mean, unfair (and ugly) stepmother, and he is not buying it.  In fact, he confided in his dad that he resents the way Disney always portrays the stepmother figure.  He says it is an unfair depiction.  I love that kid...

I do have a lot more to say on this subject, but I think I will let it wait for another time.